Jorge Lorenzo Completes South American Tour

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Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo has just completed a whirlwind three-day tour of South America, stopping in both Colombia and Mexico in advance of this weekend’s MotoGP race in Austin, Texas.

The MotoGP star’s trip began in Colombia, touching down in Medellin on Friday to visit the new Incolmotos headquarters, the local Yamaha distributor, and meet the 2,000 Yamaha employees gathered there. The visit began with a musical performance by assembled children on Yamaha musical instruments and was followed by a special press conference.

The day of activities continued with a visit to the Incolmotos factory to see where the annual production of over 150,000 units takes place before joining a press conference attended by the leading Colombian journalists to discuss MotoGP and give essential road safety advice to the Colombian riders. The day was completed with a signing session in a local shopping centre for a gathered group of 1,000 race fans.

The second day in Colombia saw Lorenzo head to the nation’s capital, Bogotá, to take part in a special Yamaha Racing Day at the new Tocancipá racing circuit. The Movistar Yamaha rider enjoyed a fun filled day with over 10,000 Yamaha fans, signing autographs and sharing the passion of MotoGP with everyone. The crowd got to see their hero ride as Lorenzo took to the track on the new Yamaha MT-07, completing several laps and entertaining with wheelies and burn-outs.

The second day in Colombia ended with a massive meet-and-greet with over 90 Colombian motorcycle dealers and clubs, all enjoying the first official MotoGP event to happen in the country. Lorenzo said his goodbyes and headed straight to Mexico to be ready for his third and final day of the tour.

The final day kicked off in Mexico City with a multimedia press conference and then one-on-one interviews with the national media. Lorenzo was joined for the event by Yamaha Motor Mexico President Yoshihiko Takahashi to unveil a new model to the national market, the extremely popular scooter Ray Z. The tour then moved to Liverpool Insurgentes shopping mall for the trip finale to meet 2,000 fans for a massive signing session.

Lorenzo will now head to Texas for round two of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship this weekend.

Jorge Lorenzo
“I was surprised and really pleased by the people in Colombia, it is a really important market for Yamaha and the people are all crazy for MotoGP! I never thought there would be such a huge following in a country where we don't race. Everybody was so friendly and knew who I was! I need to thank Incolmotos for giving me the chance to visit and discover how important MotoGP is to Latin America. Our day at the Tocancipá circuit was an amazing experience, it was fantastic to see the crowd so passionate, shouting and screaming. A big thank-you to all the Colombian fans who came to see me and to Yamaha Colombia for arranging everything. I hope MotoGP comes to Colombia soon.

Just like Colombia, in Mexico we were treated like stars, so I was very happy and proud to be there. We only had one day but the people were very passionate and excited and also very charming and friendly. It is very important to keep promoting our sport in these countries where they don't have live races like those in Europe. This has been an amazing experience, I also need to thank Yamaha Motor Mexico for their amazing hospitality and efforts to bring me here. I hope to come back to Latin America soon and experience their warmth again!”

Jorge Lorenzo has been a force in MotoGP since his 2008 debut, becoming one of the most dominant Grand Prix riders in the paddock with his 2010 and 2012 MotoGP championship victories. Find out more about Jorge Lorenzo by checking out Motorcycle USA's Jorge Lorenzo page for career highlights, a complete bio, and racing pictures.